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Cooking from the bottom-up: an exploration into the use of Vancouver's community kitchens as an empowerment tool

The purpose of this thesis was to explore the effectiveness of community kitchens as an
empowerment tool. This thesis observes the ways in which community kitchens empower their
participants, how they are being used to foster community development, and the opportunities
and constraints in using community kitchens as an empowerment tool. The research questions
are addressed in a variety of ways. First, a comprehensive literature review was undertaken to
define the meaning of empowerment and community development as used by this thesis.
Secondly, a multiple case study approach involving participant observation, key informant
interviews and a survey was conducted to examine these questions. A total of seven community
kitchens were involved in the case studies.
The research suggests that community kitchens do empower participants but at an individual
level. Participants learn skills such as cooperation, cooking and socialisation, and are
empowered through self-help and by gaining confidence and self-esteem. At a community level,
efforts have been made to empower the community and contribute to community building
processes but with limited output. In some community kitchens, community development
initiatives (such as volunteering to cook for a larger community) are in place but community
kitchens as a whole has a minimal effect in creating community. Community kitchens, however,
are effective at empowering individuals which is considered the first step to community
empowerment. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/8911
Date05 1900
CreatorsChung, Carrie Lee
Source SetsUniversity of British Columbia
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText, Thesis/Dissertation
Format6774793 bytes, application/pdf
RightsFor non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.

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